Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-30
DAILY HERALD.
R. PORTER ASHE.
He Comes for His Baby
Alma
AND GETS POSSESSION OF HER
A Writ -ycheas Corpus Sued
on Will be Tried
To-Day.


K. Porter Ashe is one of the bei
known men in certain circles in Cal
fornia, and in the f lst he has some nott
rety by reason of the fact that he own
number of fast horses and ha
"pluuged" on every race course in tn
country with doubtful results. As he
anat.ve of North Carolina and when
youth came to California and studie,
met the charming daughter of Mrs. Il
B. Crocker and an attachment spraD!
up between the handsome, talented
young lawyer and the beautiful heiress
The course of true love did not rul
smoothly owing to the fact th..s the LADY,
family thought r. Porter did not posses
enough of this. worlds goods to make
him the match of the girl. Love
laughed, however, and an e!opemen,
took place, followed by the young
couple being taken to the arms of the
brides family and complete reconcilia'
tion. Mr.. and Mrs. Ashe then flew
rather high, his mind running to the
turf and hers in the direction
of society. That their married
life was happy would not be
indicated by the reports published from
time to time in the San Francisco pa.
pers. Be that as it may, Mrs. Ashe
came to this city some months ago and
took up her residence with her mother,
Mrs. E. B. Crocker. who had erected q
palatial residence on the corner of Third
and Olive streets. Mrs. Ashe brought
with her the fruit of her union with
Ashe in the shape of beautiful little
girl about three years of age, rejoicing
in the name of Alma "A. Ashe The fes.
tive Porter in the meantime sold his
race horses and resumed the practice Of
law in San Francisco.
Last Sunday Mrs. Croker and Mrs.
Ashe started for San Francisco to attend
the wedding of Miss Hattie Crocker 10
Mr.. Charles E. Alexander. They left
the child Alma at home in the charge of
Mrs. Jennie Bender, whose husband ke cps
the Nadeau news stand, and who is a
nephew of Mrs Crocker. Mr.. and Mrs.
Bender, who live at the Crocker mansion,
were given particular injuncions to look
after little Alma and keep her always in
sight while her mamma and grandma
were absent. Thuraday Mrs. Bender re-
ceived o telegram reiterating the injunc.
tion to keep sharp outlook for
the child. Yesterday morning Mr.. R.
Porter Ashe and his brother Sidney
Ashe, arrived in Los Angeles, ard after
removing the stains of travel proceeded
to the Crocker mansion, where they
were received by Mrs. Bender and little
Alma, who seemed delighted to see her
papa. Mrs. Bender had suspicion
from the peculiar CLINT in Porter's eye
that he had designs on the child, so she
quietly excused herself, and with the
nurse, called Marie, but whose real
name is Bridget Ryan, took Alma ont
for a walk. The pedestrians stopped in
at Wolwebber's drug store, corner OF
Third md Fort streets, and in few mo.
ments Mr.. Ashe and his brother entered
the store. Mr.. Ashe walked up to the
nurse, took possession of the baby, and,
saying that he was going to take it to
San Francisco, told Bridget alias Marie
to enter carriage that was in waiting
1t seems that Emil Harris, the de.
tecsive had been retained and ordered to
keep near, and at this juncture he ap.
peared on the scene and interfered. Mr..
Ashe quietly said that he was the law.
full father of the infant, and that if he,
Harris, got between them, he Ashe,
would blow the breins out Of him, Har.
ris. Ashe then placed the nurse and
baby in the carriage and told Harris that
hef IS going to his attorneys, B;cknell
&Ghite, and asked Harris to 60 along.
Harris did SO, but did not remain long
at the lawyers office when he found that
Mr.. Ashe was the baby's lawful father.
Mr.. Ashe took the baby and nurse to
tho St. Elmo Hotel. Mrs. Bender then
went to her attorneys, Messrs. Graves &
O'Melveny, and made out petition for
a writ of habeas corpus to regain posses
sion Of the child. =
THE PETITION.
After the usual legal beginning, the
petition says: The petitioner, Mrs. Jen'
nie Bender, respectfully shows that
Alma A. Ashe is unlawfully imprisoned,
detained, etc., by r. Porter Ashe and
Sidney Ashe. That said Porter Ashe is
the father of the said minor, who is less
than three years Of age, and that the
mother OF said child has left the said
Ashe, because Of his cruelty and dissi.
pated habits, and is about to bring pro.
ceedings- for divorce against said Porter
Ashe, in which she will pray for the
custody of said minor child. On ac'
count of the habits of said Ashe, he is
not fit and proper person to have the
care, custody and control Of said infant.
That the mother of said infant is living
separate and apari from said Ashe, and
with her mother. Mrs. x, b. Crocker,
and that said mother is absent
from Los Angeles, <Ed will return on
Saturday: April 30sh. That during her
absence she left the said infant in the
custody Of petitioner, and said Porter
Ashe and his brother by force took said
infant from petitioner and threaten
to remove it from the State un-
less prohibited from doing SO by
this court That said infant is deli
cate and in constant need of nurse
and that said Ashe has the child in his
custody without any nurse; wherefore
petitioner prays that Porter and Sidney
Ashe be directed to bring said minor be-
fore the court, and that in the meantime
the infant be kept within the iurisdic-
tion Of ihe court.
At / o'clock r. NJ. the parties ap-
peared before Judge Hutton, and the
Judge, after hearing the testimony
made an order that the child be pro
duced before Judge Gardiner at
o'clock this afternoon. when it will b.
determined who is to have the custody
of little Alma. In tho meantime tn
child is left with Mr.. Ashe, but he en-
tered into bonds to the amount of $1,000
with j. Downey Harvey and George s
Slfford as sureties, After the adjourn
ment Of court, Mr.. Ashe took the bah
to the st. Elmo Hotel, where it remain
with its nurse.
1t is understood that the Souther
Pacific road has Ashe spotted, aud a
train men have instructions not to Il
hin, leava with the child Mrs Crock &